2005: Cardinal Ratzinger is elected pope

Now he's NYC going to say Mass tomorrow morning, he's a wonderful man.


1995: Oklahoma bombing kills 168 people

I remember this one so well, a very sad time!

Today April 20th
 

1999: Columbine shootings shock nation

Two students shot and killed 13 people and wounded 24 others today before committing suicide at Columbine High School outside of Littleton, Colorado. The students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, had previously made death threats against students and teachers online.

"The attackers marched into the library of Columbine High School with guns and pipe bombs, demanding that 'all jocks stand up. We're going to kill every one of you,' said student Aaron Cohn," reported the Syracuse Herald Journal on April 21, 1999. "Bombs were found in and around the school, including in two cars in the school parking lot. More than 11 hours after the shootings, a bomb on a timer blew up, but no one was injured. Meantime, frantic parents awaited word of their children into the night, watching as tearful students were reunited with their families."

NOTE: 2007’s Virginia Tech shooting reminded many of the 1999 Columbine massacre. With 33 people killed, including the gunman, Virginia Tech became the deadliest U.S. school shooting, making Columbine the third deadliest, just behind the 15 people killed by Charles Whitman at the University of Texas in 1966.

1985: FBI surrounds cult compound

The FBI began a three-day standoff today with a religious cult in northern Arkansas. The negotiations with the cult, The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, started when federal agents tried to serve the group's leader, James Ellison, with a warrant for "conspiracy to manufacture, possess and transfer automatic weapons," according to an article in The Chronicle Telegram on April 20, 1985. "Up to 80 heavily-armed federal, state and local officers, faces blackened and wearing camouflage clothing, laid siege Friday to the 224-acre compound, which contains scattered stone buildings with flat roofs and a radio tower." explained the article. NOTE: The standoff ended peacefully on the morning of the 4th day of the siege, with Ellison and his militia surrendering.

1945: U.S. troops capture Leipzig

"The German army surrendered this fifth largest city of the reich [Leipzig] to the U.S. First army at 11 a.m. today after fighting raged fiercely throughout the night and morning," informed the Joplin Globe on April 20, 1945. "After firing ceased today, after a six-day siege, thousands of the city's inhabitants emerged from their hiding places, some of them waving and cheering in delight that the war was over for them. A white flag waved from each building still standing in the wreckage." NOTE: As the surrender took place in Leipzig, the U.S. army also captured most of Nuremberg and moved tanks south to Munich.

1914: Strikers slaughtered in Ludlow

Dozens of men, women and children were killed today when violence broke out between militiamen and striking coal miners in Ludlow, Colorado. "The Ludlow tent colony presented a scene of death and desolation today, only four or five of the tents remaining standing. Soldiers declare that quantities of ammunition were exploded by the blaze that swept the tent colony during the night," reported The Lincoln Daily Star on April 21, 1914.

1902: Marie Curie isolates radium

Polish scientist Marie Curie isolated the element of radium today. "In July, 1898, they announced their joint discovery of a new element – polonium, named for Mme. Curie's native country. A few months later they announced the discovery of radium. But not until 1902 did their researches permit them to establish its existence and character," explained The Chronicle Telegram on July 5, 1934. NOTE: In 1903, the husband and wife team shared a Nobel Prize in physics with French scientist Henri Becquerel. In 1911, Marie was awarded a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry, for her work with radium.

Kat, I had you pegged for a funny comment on Mae West.

Believe me I was tempted, "Come up and See Me Sometime!"

Attachment 2969

Attachment 2970

Don't want to disappoint you!!:p

:yelrotflmao::yelrotflmao:

Today April 21st
 

1910: Mark Twain dies
Writer and humorist Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, died today after a brief illness at the age of 74. In 1909, he predicted his death, noting, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."

"Samuel Langhorne Clemens was considered the best-known American man of letters. Often he was referred to as the 'Dean of American Literature.' He was known far beyond the boundaries where English is spoken as the greatest humorist, using that tongue, if not actually the greatest humorist and satirist living. His famous telegram to a newspaper publishing a report of his death, when it happily was untrue, has been quoted and requoted everywhere. 'The report of my death,' he wired. 'Is greatly exaggerated,'" reported The Washington Post on April 22, 1910.

NOTE: Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn along with many, many other novels, stories, and articles. Nobel Prize winning author William Faulkner once noted that Twain was "the first truly American writer, and all of us since are his heirs." Twain continues to be widely read and well-loved today.


1986: Al Capone's vault is opened
Geraldo Rivera, host of the two-hour special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault, witnessed the opening of Al Capone's legendary vault today, only to find a few old bottles and dust. The vault, located under the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, was predicted to hold whiskey, money and the bones of his enemies. "The discovery came before a worldwide TV audience and special agent Dennis Sansone of the Internal Revenue Service, which didn't want to miss a shot at collecting its due from one of the nation's most notorious tax evaders," informed The Capital on April 22, 1986.

1966: Grounation Day“His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, King of Kings, Conquering Lion of Judah, arrived in Jamaica yesterday afternoon to a welcome of superlatives,” reported The Gleaner on April 22, 1966. “And he wept.” Selassie I was heralded as the second coming of Jesus by the Rastafarian faith, a claim that he never endorsed but also never discouraged. This arrival became the second-most important Rastafarian holy day after the Emperor’s coronation day. NOTE: During the visit, Emperor Selassie I told elder Rastafarian leaders that they should not emigrate to Ethiopia until they had liberated the people of Jamaica, a doctrine that became known as “liberation before repatriation.”

1930: Ohio prison fire kills more than 300
More than 300 prisoners died at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus after a fire broke out today. "The blaze was believed set by a band of vengeful lifers who supposedly conceived the fire as a means of inciting a mutiny that would deliver the prison into their hands," explained The Chronicle Telegram on April 22, 1930.


1912: Giants, Yankees raise money for Titanic survivors
The New York Giants and the Yankees played an exhibition game to benefit the survivors of the Titanic today. On April 22, 1912, the Trenton Evening Times reported, "At the baseball game between the Giants and the Yankees at the Polo Grounds yesterday for the benefit of the Titanic survivors the attendance was 14,083 and the receipts $9,425.25."

1986: Al Capone's vault is opened

Here are some of his quotes:

Vote early and vote often. (Very popular here:rolleyes:)

When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging; when my patrons serve it on Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality.

You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.

I can remember watching Capone's vault being opened - it was like a 2 hour special with Geraldo - absolutely nothing was in it. I think that's when Geraldo stopped being a legitimate reported in the eyes of a lot of people.

So true, I thought it would have been so exciting to see what was in it and after that...Geraldo kind of left the public for a while. I see here lately he's making a come back.

1964: World's Fair opens
The New York World's Fair opened today on schedule, even though there were threats that the fair would be disrupted by civil rights groups.

"The demonstration had been planned largely as a stall-in – the deliberate stalling of automobiles to block traffic leading to the fair," reported The Daily Times-News on April 22, 1964. "Police spotted a number of stalled cars and towed them away, but traffic appeared lighter than usual. Many motorists who ordinarily pass the fairground area in commuting from Long Island to New York City apparently took other routes."

NOTE: According to newspaper reports from 1964, 18-year-old Bill Turchyn from St. Peter's College in New Jersey became the first to enter the fair after he waited in line for nearly two days.

1994: Richard Nixon dies
Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, who left the White House in disgrace due to the Watergate scandal, died today at the age of 81. "In a career brimming with paradoxical twists, Nixon went from red-baiting congressman in the Cold War era, to vice president, to a seeming political has-been after beatings in the early 1960s. He went on to become president in 1968; the ruined man of Watergate in 1974; the beneficiary of a stunning presidential pardon, and a rich recluse in retirement limbo," explained the Daily Herald on April 23, 1994.

1993: Holocaust Memorial Museum opens
President Clinton led the dedication ceremony for the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. today. "In his dedication address, Clinton said the museum binds 'one of the darkest lessons in history to the hopeful soul of America,'" informed the Daily Herald on April 23, 1993.

1952: TV viewers watch atomic bomb test
For the first time in U.S. history, television viewers witnessed live the detonation of an atomic bomb at the U.S. testing site in Yucca Flat, Nevada. "It was a bomb of 'king-size,' at least as powerful as any tested here since the proving grounds was activated 18 months ago. It was officially declared to be more powerful than the atomic bombs which knocked out Hiroshima and Nagasaki," reported the San Mateo Times on April 22, 1952. NOTE: During the test, U.S. troops were stationed closer to the atomic blast than ever before.

1889: First land run
“The Furious Rush of the Home Seekers Commenced at Noon Today—The Town Site Companies Even More Daring Than the Claim Hunters,” announced the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette on April 22, 1889. The land run of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands and included two million acres of land in Oklahoma. The Indian Appropriations Bill of 1889 had opened the land for settlement, and with the land run, more than 50,000 people lined up to claim land. Each person was allowed up to 160 acres. NOTE: If a settler lived on the land and improved it, he would then receive the title to the land.

OK, I have to reply to the land run article. First let me say, I did not grow up in Oklahoma, I met my DH and moved here to be with him. I do not understand why OU has selected the Sooners as a mascot. The Sooners were the people who cheated and went out and staked a claim before the race. Why would a university have a mascot honoring cheaters?

Today April 23
 

1985: Coca-Cola announces new formula
The Coca-Cola Company announced today it has changed its formula for Coke. The new recipe, which the company called "the most significant soft-drink development" in its history, was said to make the beverage sweeter and smoother.

"The slogan reads 'Coke Is It,' but times change and so will the 99-year-old secret formula of the world's No. 1 soft drink. As soon as Coca-Cola's plans were made known, archrival Pepsi tasted victory in its cola war and crowed that Coke is 'not the real thing,'" reported the Syracuse Herald Journal on April 23, 1985. "Industry experts were upbeat about the company's reported decision to change the formula set down by Dr. John Pemberton in 1886. Called 'Merchandise 7X,' it is kept in an Atlanta bank vault, its ingredients known only to a handful of Coke executives."

NOTE: Despite the company's excitement over the new formula, the public reacted mostly negatively to the change. An organization called Old Cola Drinkers of America was even formed. Less than three months after the new Coke was introduced, Coca-Cola announced the original formula would return.


1998: James Earl Ray dies
James Earl Ray, the man charged with assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., died of kidney failure and complications from liver disease today, while he was still serving his 99-year prison sentence. "For more than a year, James Earl Ray fought the government, popular opinion and his own failing body for a chance to prove he didn't kill the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Time ran out for Ray, but the debate survives," explained The Capital on April 24, 1998.

1984: AIDS virus is identified
"Researchers announced today they have discovered and isolated a virus they say is likely to be the primary cause of AIDS, the mysterious and deadly disease that destroys the body's protective immune system," reported The Capital April 23, 1984. "According to the papers and scientists familiar with the work, the virus in question appears to be a member of a family of viruses called human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) previously suspected of having a role in AIDS." NOTE: Scientists also announced the discovery had led to the development of a blood test to diagnose AIDS victims.

1969: Robert Kennedy assassin sentenced to death
Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, who was convicted of assassinating U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was sentenced to death today. "A jury of seven men and five women returned to the tight-security courtroom on the eighth floor of the Los Angeles Hall of Justice after almost 12 hours of deliberation to say the young Jordanian immigrant should die in California's gas chamber for the murder of the New York senator and would-be president," informed the Independent on April 24, 1969. NOTE: The death sentence was reduced to life in prison in 1972.

1968: Britain introduces decimal coins
The British government began issuing two new coins today, a 5 pence and 10 pence, which would completely replace the one and two shilling pieces within three years. "Pity the poor British housewife. She must learn that 100 pennies make a pound ($2.40). It was so simple before – 12 pennies equal one shilling, 20 shillings equal one pound, which means there are 240 pennies to a pound," explained the Independent on April 24, 1968. "Tuesday the government began the introduction of the new coinage system, and to prepare Britain for the shock of change it took large advertisements in national newspapers."


1940: Night club fire proves deadly
More than 200 African Americans died today when a fire broke out in the Rhythm Night Club in Natchez, Mississippi. "The fire lasted only 15 minutes in which the flimsy, shack-like building was reduced to ashes. Most of the victims, apparently, were killed not by the fire but in a mad stampede for the one exit. All the bodies taken from the ashes were badly burned, some beyond possibility of identification," reported the Dunkirk Evening Observer on April 24, 1940. "Approximately 150 escaped and of these authorities estimated that 50 to 100 were injured in varying degrees."

Can anyone else tell the difference in a blind taste test with Coki, Pepsi, and RC?
I've done it with my family to prove that I can tell the difference. :D

I am a pepsi drinker I think I can tell the blind taste test with Coke, not sure about RC don't think I ever drank that soda.

When I drink soda, I am a Pepsi person as well. Coke just seems to have more carmel flavor to me

I haven't had a soda since January 3rd of this year. I can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi no problem, but it's been a long time since I had Royal Crown.

Today April 24th
 

1967: Mission results in first space death
Vladimir Komarov, the only cosmonaut on board the Soyuz 1 spacecraft, died today after experiencing a problem with his parachute. Komarov was the first Russian to travel into space twice.

"Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov plummeted to death from a height of more than four miles when his spacecraft Soyuz 1 tried to land today, the government announced. It was the first time either of the two space powers has reported the death of an astronaut on an operation. Moscow radio said ropes of the parachute meant to ease the landing twisted, and the ship hit with great force, killing the 40-year-old veteran cosmonaut," reported The Lowell Sun on April 24, 1967.

NOTE: Komarov's death came just three months after three American astronauts were killed in a fire during a ground test at Cape Kennedy. Despite this American tragedy, the Independent reported that Komarov's death "may have wiped out any chance Russia had to beat the U.S. to the moon."

1990: Hubble Space Telescope is launched
The space shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit today. "The 1.5 billion telescope is expected to provide astronomers with a vastly sharper, clearer view of the most distant reaches of the universe than could ever be obtained by ground-based telescopes looking through the atmosphere," informed The Post Standard on April 25, 1990. "On hand to watch the Discovery launching was a contingent of scientists who have hailed the Hubble as the greatest advance in astronomy since Galileo raised a small telescope to his eyes nearly 400 years ago."


1984: Apple portable computer is released
Apple Computer, Inc. released its Apple IIc portable computer today. "Priced at a suggested $1,295, the IIc weighs 7.5 pounds and is what industry officials call lap-sized – 12 inches long, 11½ inches wide and 2½ inches high. The Apple IIc computer has a single built-in disc drive and can use about 90 percent of the more than 10,000 computer programs written for the Apple II series," explained The Post Standard on April 25, 1984.

1980: Hostage rescue fails
Eight American servicemen died today in a helicopter crash after an aborted attempt to rescue hostages from the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The attempt was a failure and had severe political repercussions for President Jimmy Carter's administration. "U.S. military forces undertook a dramatic raid to rescue American hostages in Tehran, but the mission collapsed in 'equipment failures' and was aborted on a desert airstrip far from its target, President Carter reported today," informed The Capital on April 25, 1980. "Iranian radio said the militants holding 50 Americans in the U.S. embassy in Tehran were meeting to discuss their response to the rescue mission, which Iranian Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh compared to Hitler's invasion of Austria at the start of World War II." NOTE: The U.S. hostages were released within minutes of Ronald Reagan taking the office of President of the United States of America on January 20, 1981.

1953: Winston Churchill is knighted
Winston Churchill, often called the greatest statesman of the 20th century, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II today. "The British Prime Minister, 78, knelt before his young Queen in the drawing room at Windsor Castle to receive - for his decades of service to the empire and the throne - the accolade he declined from her father, King George VI," explained The Oneonta Star on April 25, 1953. "As a knight, he gains nothing substantial except the title 'Sir' and the right to walk ahead of plain misters and knights of lesser rank on formal occasions."

1916: Easter Rising begins
In an attempt to force Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom, militant Irish republicans staged a rebellion today in Dublin. "Irish rebels are in possession of four or five parts of the city of Dublin after twenty-four hours of most serious rioting, Augustine Birrell, chief secretary for Ireland, announced in the house of commons today," reported The Fort Wayne News on April 25, 1916. "Twelve persons were killed in the first fight, but because of the interpretation in communication, there is no estimate of the total number of casualties." NOTE: Because the rioting took place during Easter week, the rebellion is now commonly referred to as the Easter Rising. The Rising was stopped after six days of fighting, and the leaders were court-martialled and executed. The rising, however, what somewhat of a success; elected members of Sinn Fein established the Irish Republic in 1919 due to the attention brought by the Easter Rising.

Today April 25 (Arbor Day)
 

1945: United Nations is organized
Delegates from nations that had joined forces against the Axis powers met in San Francisco today to "make the post-war world safe for peace-loving peoples."

"They call this the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The first session will be brief," reported The Charleroi Mail on April 25, 1945. "The goal of conference is to prepare 'a charter for a general international organization for the maintenance of international peace and security.'"

NOTE: While representatives came to the conference for collective action to safeguard peace, President Truman reminded the delegates that obtaining world collaboration would not be easy. In a broadcast from Washington at the opening of the conference, Truman said, "We who have lived through the torture and the tragedy of two world conflicts must realize the magnitude of the problem before us. We do not need farsighted vision to understand the trend of recent history. Its significance is all too clear."


1995: Ginger Rogers dies at 83
Oscar award winning actress and dancer Ginger Rogers died today at the age of 83. The Chronicle Telegram noted on April 26, 1995, "She matched Fred Astaire step for step, dancing backwards and in high heels through glamorous musicals that provided an escape for Americans mired in the Depression."

1983: 10-year-old receives letter from Soviet leader
Samantha Smith, a 10-year-old girl from Maine, received a letter from Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov today after she sent him a hand-written message asking to end the arms race. "In the one-page letter, Andropov assured Samantha the Soviet Union was doing everything possible to avoid a nuclear war and invited her to visit the Soviet Union this summer," informed Daily Herald on April 26, 1983. NOTE: Samantha and her parents did go to the Soviet Union for two weeks as guests of Andropov. She was then invited to Japan as “America’s Youngest Ambassador.” Smith died in 1985 when her airplane crashed attempting to land at the Lewiston-Auburn Regional Airport.

1967: Johnson attends Konrad Adenauer's funeral
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, French President Charles de Gaulle and other Western leaders today attended the funeral mass for West Germany's former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer at the Gothic cathedral of Cologne. "Adenauer, a veteran figure in German politics who had served as mayor of Cologne long before World War II, came out of self-imposed retirement after the war to serve as West Germany's first chancellor when the occupation government yielded to the Federal Republic in 1949. He served until 1963," reported the Syracuse Herald-Journal on April 25, 1967.

1959: St. Lawrence Seaway opens
The St. Lawrence Seaway opened today to ocean vessels seeking passage from Montreal to the Great Lakes ports. "The 475-million-dollar project had been debated by the U.S. and Canadian governments for 50 years, then was completed by 15,000 workers in five years," explained The Odessa American on April 26, 1959.


1935: Fire destroys Oregon's capitol
An immense fire ruined Oregon's state capitol in Salem today. "Theoretically the state carries its own insurance in a 'restoration fund,' but it contained only $140,000. The 60-year-old capitol which contained the main departmental offices, the executive offices and the senate and house chambers, cost $700,000," reported The Fresno Bee Republican. "The value of the equipment, records and historical relics was expected to bring the actual investment loss around at least $1,500,000." It was believed that the fire began in the basement and spread through the elevator shaft. One fireman was killed when a crumbling chimney crushed him.

I know that you don't get many posts on here, but I really enjoy reading them everyday. Thanks, Michelle!!!!

Thanks, I seem to learn something, everytime I post one of them.

I was shopping for my Senior Prom dress around this time in 1967.

I love reading them too Michelle. Every one of them has been so interesting.

Today April 26th
 

1989: Lucille Ball dies

Actress Lucille Ball, star of the sitcom I Love Lucy, died of a ruptured aorta today, only eight days after she underwent emergency heart surgery. The four-time Emmy Award winner was 77-years-old.

"An outpouring of sympathy from presidents to childhood neighbors followed the death of Lucille Ball, but many said the queen mother of comedy will live on through television reruns and her influence on comedy," reported The Valley Independent on April 27, 1989. "Miss Ball maintained her sense of humor even when she was critically ill. Following her operation last week, her first words to her daughter, Lucie, were 'Wouldn't you know – this is the day I was going to get my hair done.'"

NOTE: Although Ball was known as "the queen of television comedy," her talents went well beyond acting. With her husband Desi Arnaz, Ball created and led Desilu, one of Hollywood's major production companies.

1991: Tornado outbreak hits Kansas

A series of strong tornadoes struck parts of Kansas today, with the most devastating hitting the town of Andover with wind speeds of more than 260 mph. The Andover tornado injured hundreds and completely destroyed the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park. "Bulldozers on Saturday cut through twisted wreckage in a trailer park hardest hit by tornadoes that killed 29 people, and authorities feared the death toll could rise," explained the Daily Herald on April 28, 1991. "Hundreds of homes were destroyed as at least 30 twisters ripped across Kansas and 18 through Oklahoma Friday night."

1986: Explosion at Chernobyl releases radiation

An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused a fire today that resulted in a nuclear meltdown. "The first indications of a nuclear mishap came this morning when unusual concentrations of radioactivity were registered in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant in Forsmark, Sweden. Six hundred workers were evacuated," the Syracuse Herald Journal explained on April 28, 1986. Radiation from the Chernobyl plant contaminated large areas, with the governments of Sweden, Finland and Denmark reporting large clouds of radioactive material. NOTE: The Chernobyl disaster is still considered the largest nuclear accident in history.

1954: Polio vaccine tests begin

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis gave its approval to begin distributing a new polio vaccine today. "Sandy-haired Randy Kerr claimed the first shot today in a nation-wide polio vaccine test, but what worried him most was the poison ivy 'which I've had since a week ago Sunday,'" reported the Oakland Tribune on April 26, 1954. "But Dr. Richard Mulvaney assured him he had nothing to worry about on that score and proceeded to make Randy the first of some 2,400 children in Fairfax County who will take their first shots this week."

1925: Germany elects Von Hindenburg

German field marshal Paul Von Hindenburg was elected president of Germany today. "Running as the choice of the nationalist-conservative bloc, consisting of the parties of United Right, von Hindenburg received 14,639,399 votes or 48.3 per cent, of the total valid ballots cast in yesterday's polling. His principal opponent, former Chancellor Dr. Wilhelm Marx, candidate of the Republican bloc, received 13,752,649 votes. Ernest Thaelmann, the Communist, trailed with 1,931,591," explained The Bee on April 27, 1925. NOTE: Hindenburg remained in office until his death on August 2, 1934, upon which Adolf Hitler became Germany's Head of State.

1865: John Wilkes Booth is shot

Assassin John Wilkes Booth was shot today in a burning barn after a desperate search by the Union army. Booth had fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln just 12 days earlier. "Sergeant Boston Corbett fired upon him and he fell. The ball passed through his neck. He was pulled out of the barn…the wretch lived about two hours, whispering blasphemes against the government, and messages to his mother, desiring her to be informed that he died for his country," reported The New York Times on April 28, 1865. "At the time Booth was shot, he was leaning upon one crutch and preparing to shoot his captors. Only one shot was fired in the entire affair – that which killed the assassin."

I can't believe that it's been that long since Andover was hit by that tornado!! We drive through there on our way to Wichita. You can still see some evidence, if you know where to look, of that tornado. It was really bad!!!

I know exactly how you feel. May 3rd is the big one around here.

My cousin was living in Moore, Ok, when that one hit. She had just moved there and didn't know where to go to so she took her girls and hid under the stairs. She called her mother and told her good-bye. It ended up that the tornado came within 2 blocks of where she lived. Scary!!!

It is very sad that she didn't know where to go. It was like the movie Twister had actually come to life. I remember the weather men saying "folks, you are going to have to get under ground for this one, it will not do to be above ground"

For a while it looked like it was coming right for us. I remember my DH and I sitting down and saying well what do we do? We decided to sit in front of the TV and watch it. I know stupid. But it hit the river and turned to Moore (they almost always do that). We live about 1.4 mile from the river. We went outside and watched it pass. I think we had 88 tornado's that day.

My DH works for OG&E. He worked for 6 months to get the power back on. There was one F4 that rode the transmisson lines feeding into the city 88 of the big metal towers were crumbled. He said that they knew there where dead bodies where they were working, they could smell them.

I've never seen one quite that close or really felt I was in immediate danger of a tornado. Oh we've packed us and the doggies and headed for a safer place, but most of the time we just stay home.

The Palm Sunday tornado in 1964 went right over our property and took everything with it. Of course I was only 9 years old, but I do remember my parents taking us through Russiaville, it was pretty much destroyed.

We do have a storm cellar we can get to, but we have to go outside and then under the house through a small opening. It would be hard getting all the dogs down there. Wish there was a way to get there from inside the house. ...hmmmm, now I'm thinking....

Today April 27th
 

1947: Babe Ruth Day is celebrated

Babe Ruth was honored today at baseball parks across the United States. Ruth appeared at a special ceremony held at Yankee Stadium, "the house that Ruth built." Fans from all over the world heard Ruth's speech over their own stadium's loudspeakers, as his words were piped into other major and minor league parks.

"Walking slowly up the steps of the New York Yankee dugout Sunday afternoon in full view of the 58,339 'Babe Ruth day' fans, the 52-year-old Bambino was greeted by a thunderous roar. The greatest home run hitter the game ever produced stood a few feet away from the batters' box from which he used to bombard the bleachers surrounded by dignitaries," reported the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune on April 28, 1947. "It was still the same old Babe, putting in a plug for 'the kids,' his ever-faithful public, and boosting baseball as 'the only real game in the world.'"

NOTE: When Ruth spoke before his fans, he was still recovering from a serious neck operation to remove a cancerous tumor. He died from his battle with cancer on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53.

1974: Thousands march to impeach Nixon

"Thousands of persons, accompanied by rock music, streakers and the fragrance of marijuana, marched on the Capitol Saturday seeking speedy removal of Richard Nixon as President," explained The Times Standard on April 28, 1974. "The impeachment march was the first major protest in Washington since Nixon's second inauguration in January 1973. Chants of 'Throw the Bum Out' and 'No More Years' bounced against the walls of the Capitol. Signs read 'Pick out your drapes, Mrs. Ford' and 'Jail to the Chief.'" NOTE: Expecting to be impeached, Nixon announced his resignation on August 8, 1974.

1965: Edward R. Murrow dies

American journalist and CBS news anchor Edward R. Murrow died today of lung cancer. "Murrow gained fame during World War II when his broadcasts from London described in vivid detail the courage and tenacity of the British people under the Nazi blitz," informed The Sheboygan Press on April 27, 1965. "The war made him one of radio's legends. His vivid pictures of Londoners under fire, prefaced by his, 'This is London,' carried what Winston Churchill later called 'their finest hour' into millions of American homes and hearts."

1941: Nazis take Athens

Nazi forces marched on Athens, Greece today. "The citizens of Athens waited silently this morning, behind locked doors and shuttered windows, for the first sounds of German troops moving into the capital of Greece," reported The Port Arthur News just hours before the Nazis arrived. "No longer are there gay British soldiers in Athens. No more does one see the friendly uniforms of Greece's allies. As the Athenians walked to their homes Saturday night, driven indoors by the early curfew, they saw only a few British soldiers."

1897: Grant's Tomb is dedicated

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the birth of General Ulysses S. Grant, almost one million people gathered in New York City for the dedication of Grant's tomb. "It was an occasion more of triumphant eulogy and national pride than of funeral rite, for in these 12 years since first the nation mourned for Grant the keenness of grief has worn away and in its place there lives in the hearts of men that hero-worship which found such tumultuous vent yesterday. The greatest of our citizens, our soldiers and our sailors stood side by side with men of fame from almost every nation of the earth and paid without regard to race, or creed, or party prejudice, the last and long delayed honor of the living to the dead," explained The Fort Wayne News on April 28, 1897. NOTE: The answer to the famous Groucho Marx riddle “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” is nobody, as both Grant and his wife are entombed and not buried there.

1897: Grant's Tomb is dedicated

I remember this day well, I was kneehigh to a grasshopper.:dreaming:

More likely you were a twinkle in some great-great-grandmother's eye!!!! LOL

Today April 28th
 

1945: Mussolini is executed
Italian partisans killed deposed dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci today. Mussolini, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943, had been removed from office following the defeat of the Italian army. After his execution, his body was brought to Milan, where he was hung upside down.

On April 30, 1945, The Oakland Tribune reported, "The body of Benito Mussolini swung from its heels against the rusty steel framework of a half-completed gasoline station in the heart of Milan, the object of the vengeful wrath of the Italian people whom he had promised a place in the sun but instead had led to defeat and misery."

NOTE: Following the execution, Mussolini’s body was hung upside down from meathooks at a petrol station, and he was stoned by civilians. His body was then buried in an unmarked grave. Later he was interred at the town of Predappio, his birthplace.

2001: Dennis Tito becomes first space tourist
U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito blasted into space on the Russian Soyuz craft today, making him the world’s first “space tourist.” “Never mind NASA’s stern admonition that space is no place for amateurs. Tito hopes his weekend launch aboard a Russian rocket and six day stay on the international space station will prove anyone can – and should – experience space,” explained the Tyrone Daily Herald on April 28, 2001. NOTE: Despite controversy from NASA, Tito’s trip went well. He stayed in space for a total of 7 days and 22 hours in space, and orbited the earth 128 times. He has since testified in Congress in favor of commercial human spaceflight.


1994: Former CIA spy pleads guilty
Former CIA spy Aldrich Ames was sentenced to life in prison today after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit espionage. "Ames, 52, pleaded guilty without a trial and admitted being paid $2.5 million by the Soviet Union and then Russia since April 1985 for U.S. secrets. Once head of counterintelligence in the CIA's Soviet East Europe section, Ames admitted disclosing the identities of 10 Russian officials and one East European who were spying for the United States or Great Britain," informed The Intelligencer on April 29, 1994.

1965: U.S. Marines land in Dominican Republic
U.S. Marines landed in the Dominican Republic today in order to evacuate American citizens and protect them from the fighting taking place in Santo Domingo. On April 29, 1965, The Daily Times News reported, "[President] Johnson's order marked the first such use of Marines in Latin America in years. U.S. officials expected criticism from Latin Americans mindful of American 'gunboat diplomacy' of a bygone era. But under international law, they said, a nation can send its forces to another land to protect its nationals when the local government breaks down."


1952: Eisenhower resigns from NATO“President Truman yesterday appointed dynamic Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway to succeed General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe to build up defenses against the threat of Soviet aggression,” reported The Troy Record on April 29, 1952. “The appointments are effective June 1, the date Eisenhower is scheduled to doff his uniform and return to the U.S. to press his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.” NOTE: Eisenhower did receive the Republican nomination and was elected to the presidency in 1953, with Richard Nixon as his running mate.

1952: Eisenhower
This is not a joke so don't expect one.
When I was 2 or 3, I really don't remember this, but my Mom told me that Eisenhower came to Chicago to campaign and she was running down the street with my sister and I in the buggy so she could see him in his motorcade.
(and that's a fact)

That would be pretty cool Kat. Too bad you don't really remember it.

Today April 29th
 

1992: Riots break out in L.A.
The city of Los Angeles was a scene of violence today after riots broke out following the acquittal of four white police officers charged with the videotaped beating of Rodney King.

"Gov. Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency and 2,000 National Guardsmen were sent to armories and other gathering points to await orders as the city tried to quell the worst outbreak of violence since the Watts riots of 1965," reported The Capital on April 30, 1992. "Blacks dragged motorists from their cars and beat them, looters – most of them black – emptied a supermarket, and more than 300 fires were reported. At dawn, police with shotguns guarded firefighters as they battled more than 30 blazes, authorities said. Streets were largely deserted."

NOTE: An estimated 55 people were reported dead when the rioting finally ceased several days later. The acquitted police officers faced a second trial one year later, in which two were found guilty of violating King's civil rights.


1993: Buckingham Palace opens to public
Buckingham Palace announced today it will open its doors to the public in order to raise money to repair the fire-damaged Windsor Castle. "Treasures on view will include a raft of Old Master paintings, the world's finest collection of Sevres porcelain and antique French furniture, some from Versailles," informed The Intelligencer on April 30, 1993. "Admission will cost $12.50 for adults, and the palace expects up to 400,000 tourists a year. The government said the tours of Buckingham Palace plus new charges for visiting Windsor Castle are expected to meet 70 per cent of the repair bill."

1967: Muhammad Ali stripped of title
Boxer Cassius Clay, known as Muhammad Ali, was stripped of his heavyweight championship title today after refusing induction into the United States Army on religious grounds. "I had the world heavyweight title, not because it was 'given' to me, not because of my race or religion, but because I won it in the ring through my own boxing ability," said Ali in a statement published in The Lima News on April 29, 1967. "Those who want to 'take' it and hold a series of auction-type bouts not only do me a disservice but actually disgrace themselves," he continued. NOTE: Two months later, Ali was found guilty of draft evasion and was sentenced to prison for five years. He was allowed to box again in 1970, and the Supreme Court reversed his conviction the following year.


1945: Dachau concentration camp is liberated
United States forces freed 32,000 captives at the Dachau concentration camp today. "The political prisoners at Dachau wept with hysteria when troops of the U.S. Seventh Army cleared the enemy guards from the camp where gruesome torture rooms and gas chambers were located," read an article in The Daily Courier on April 30, 1945. Another 27,000 American and British prisoners of war were also freed when the U.S. Third Army found a large prisoner of war camp at Moosburg, just northeast of Munich.

Whenever I read of the horrible things that happened...it makes me ashamed to be human.

Today April 30th
 

1945: Hitler commits suicide
Adolf Hitler and his wife for one day, Eva Braun, committed suicide today. . Early newspaper reports stated Hitler was thought to have been slain by the Russians or to have died of a stroke, but no mention was made of suicide. It was not until almost two months later that newspapers revealed the couple had made a suicide pact.

"Hitler shot himself through the temple, the chauffer said, while Eva Braun sent a bullet through her heart. Both died almost instantly. The source of this information apparently clarifying the mystery of Hitler's end as overlord of Europe was Erich Kempke, his driver since 1936," reported The Port Arthur News on June 21, 1945. "The bodies of Hitler and his bride were taken out into the chancellory garden, Kempke said, soaked with gasoline and burned."

NOTE: Reports revealed that Hitler and his wife shot themselves while simultaneously biting into a cyanide capsule. Though some remains were discovered, many still believe that Hitler may have faked his death and gone into hiding, and that the remains are inauthentic.

1980: Beatrix crowned queen of Netherlands
Princess Beatrix became queen of the Netherlands today upon the abdication of her mother, Queen Juliana. "Juliana signed the abdication document surrendering the throne at 10 a.m. in the royal palace on Dam Square, and Beatrix, her energetic, 42-year-old eldest daughter, succeeded her, becoming Holland's fourth successive female monarch and its sixth constitutional ruler," explained The Daily Intelligencer on April 30, 1980. NOTE: As the inaugural ceremonies were taking place, rioting erupted in the capital as protesters threw a smoke bomb into a crowd of spectators.

1975: South Vietnam surrenders
The Vietnam War ended today when the Saigon government announced its surrender. "The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops – jubilant over the unconditional surrender that ended 35 years of war against American, French, Japanese and South Vietnamese forces – seized Saigon Radio and announced they were renaming the South Vietnamese capital 'Ho Chi Minh City,'" informed the Delta Democrat-Times on April 30, 1975. "One by one, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops overwhelmed the holdouts and gained complete control of all of Saigon. They crashed tanks through the wall at the presidential palace and hoisted a huge Viet Cong flag – red on the top, blue on the bottom with a gold star in the center."

1973: Nixon's top aides resign
Four of President Richard Nixon's closest aides resigned today. "Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and three trusted White House aides – H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and John W. Dean II – were swept out of office today by the Watergate bugging scandal," reported The Lowell Sun on April 30, 1973. "The resignations came amid growing pressures from within the Republican party for a housecleaning and full disclosure of the facts of administration involvement in the Watergate bugging."

1939: First regular TV service begins in U.S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared on television today for the opening of the New York World's Fair. His appearance opened the first regular television service in the United States. "Popular television in America, for years a fantasy of dreamers and a problem for scientists, was realized today. President Roosevelt and other guests at the New York World's fair inaugural were among the subjects telecast to homes and radio stores as far as 50 miles away," explained The Helena Independent on May 1, 1939. NOTE: At that time, television could only be broadcast 50 miles from the Empire State Building. Even then, television sets needed to be installed in positions that were in "the line-of-sight route."

1945: Dachau concentration camp is liberated

When Pete and I were in Germany we visited The Memorial site, I'll never forget it.

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Dachau...ook/index.html

Today May 1
 

1971: Amtrak service begins

Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation created by Congress, began operating 182 passenger trains today despite efforts to delay its official start. The government-backed system was met with criticism since more than 170 passenger trains throughout the U.S. were halted once the Amtrak changeover became effective.

"The corporation was established by Congress last year to establish and maintain a backbone national rail passenger system connecting the nation's principal cities. This came in the face of mounting railroad requests to get rid of passenger trains being operated at losses running $200 million a year," reported the Iowa City Press-Citizen on May 1, 1971.

NOTE: Even after cutting service to nearly half of the U.S.'s railroad passenger trains, Amtrak expected to lose $110 million within the first year of operation. The organization had hoped to achieve financial independence by 1974, but has not to this day.

1999: Mercury capsule from 1961 is discovered

The Liberty Bell 7, which sank after Gus Grissom's manned space flight on July 21, 1961, was found today by an underwater salvage team. "The only U.S. spacecraft ever lost following a successful mission, the capsule is still shiny in spots with an intact window and the name 'Liberty Bell 7' clearly printed beneath it," informed The Intelligencer on May 3, 1999.

1967: Elvis marries Priscilla

Elvis Presley, 32, married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, 21, at a Las Vegas hotel today. Elvis met Priscilla, the daughter of a lieutenant colonel, when he was serving in the army in Germany in 1959. "With the life I had, I decided it would be best to wait (to marry). You know, all the shows and record engagements," Elvis told reporters in 1967.

1931: Empire State Building formally opens

The Empire State Building formally opened today when President Hoover pressed a button in the telegraph room at the White House which turned on the lights. "On the site of the old Waldorf-Astoria hotel, at Thirty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, it reaches nearly a quarter of a mile in the sky. In the words of former Governor Smith it is 'the tallest thing in the world today created by the hand of man,'" explained The Gettysburg Times on May 2, 1931.

1900: Hundreds of miners killed in Utah

A powder explosion at the No. 4 mine in Scofield, Utah, killed more than 200 people today. "The appalling nature of the disaster had not fully dawned upon the people of this place last night, as the company kept the grief stricken wives and children away from the scene of operation. All night long lights were kept burning in every home in Scofield and winter quarters and the moans of mothers and the piteous cries of the many orphans are heart-rending," reported the Reno Evening Gazette on May 2, 1900.

1893: World's Fair opens in Chicago

The Columbian Exposition, a World's Fair held as a tribute to the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, opened today in Chicago. "Every great nation of the Old World was represented at today's ceremonies. England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain had their officials there, men of travel and experience, who have studied every great exposition of modern times, and they will see the glories of the last and greatest European one, eclipsed and diminished," informed the Davenport Daily Leader on May 1, 1893. "Within reach of Paris there are six millions of people to the one million within the same reach of Chicago, yet this country has so far spent double as much money upon its great Columbian fair as France did upon its late exposition. The tremendous confidence and hopefulness of the Americans is made clear by this fact alone." NOTE: The fair was known as the Great White City since the exposition buildings were based on classical architecture and made out of a material resembling marble.

1893: World's Fair opens in Chicago

My Maternal Grandmother was 4 yrs old and went to it.

http://parallel.park.org/Guests/WWWvoice/1893chi.html